February 12, 2026
UI or U-Why?
Show HN: Generate Web Interfaces from Data
AI-made app screens? Devs call chaos, fans call magic
TLDR: Syntux is a tool that lets AI build app interfaces from your data instead of code. Commenters split: skeptics warn unpredictable, cache-dependent screens are a quality-control nightmare, while a few optimists see promise for interfaces that adapt to user intent—raising big questions about reliability versus flexibility.
Syntux wants to let AI design your app’s screens from raw data, streaming them in as it goes and caching the results. Instead of spitting out code, it produces a UI blueprint (a JSON “React Interface Schema”) that’s then rendered. You can plug in your own buttons and inputs, and even attach server actions.
But the Hacker News crowd smelled drama. The loudest take: unpredictability. “Why would anyone do this?” asked popalchemist, worried the interface could change constantly. superfrank slammed caching as a “foot‑gun,” warning that hot‑reloading plus a missing cache key feels like a disaster waiting to happen.
Then came the meme: cadamsdotcom dubbed it “the magic eight ball of UI.” Refresh until you like what you get — if you ever do. Others wanted a lighter, consistent syntax that guides the AI, not roll‑the‑dice generation. One hopeful voice, rupertsworld, sees real potential for interfaces that morph to user intent, but questioned selling it as a developer tool when devs can prompt models to write stable components.
Verdict from the comments: bold idea, chaotic vibes. Syntux promised token‑optimized generation and caching by schema, but the crowd’s not convinced it won’t turn design into roulette.
Key Points
- •syntux generates UIs by producing a JSON-based React Interface Schema (RIS) rather than source code, which is hydrated and rendered at runtime.
- •The library targets React and Next.js, offering a single GeneratedUI component that accepts a model, data value, and optional hint.
- •Features include streamable UI generation, support for custom React components, and caching that reuses UIs when the same schema is produced.
- •Installation is via npx getsyntux@latest, with integration through the Vercel AI SDK and packages like ai and @ai-sdk/anthropic.
- •Examples demonstrate basic usage, caching with cached/on-generate props, auto-generated component definitions, and server actions defined with defineTool.